Motor abilities analysis using a standardized tapping test enhanced by a detailed processing stage: gender and age comparison

Wearable sensors have now become an essential reality in sports to assess motor gesture characteristics and health care in diagnosing movement-related diseases. Inertial devices can be used to reliably test an individual’s motor abilities, avoiding human operator-related errors and providing an automated, accurate and reproducible assessment methodology. This paper proposes a new data processing method for assessing upper limb dexterity abilities based on the standard tapping test protocol using a single IMU sensor. The tapping test is a neuromotor examination that measures a subject’s speed and handling of motor abilities. The purpose of this study was to collect normative data for a sensor-assisted tapping test to evaluate its performance against a standardized method. The study was conducted on 53 students aged 21-30 years. Tapping motion was measured with an IMU sensor placed on the left and right index fingers during five 10-second trials. Differences were found between the genders, dominant and non-dominant hands, number of taps, amplitude range, and intertemps. With the sensor, efficient and accurate assessment of tapping speed and movement kinetics was possible, making it useful for scientific and clinical investigations of motor function. Future purposes include replication of this work on patients with neurodegenerative diseases. This assessment method could help track the course of the disease and the effectiveness of the various treatments patients undergo.